Real Weddings: Sam & Larry met Down Under but grew up only down the road

They grew up just miles from one another but it would take a move to the other side of the world for Samantha and Larry’s stars to collide.

Like something straight off a movie screen, sparks flew for this beautiful couple when Larry ‘turned up out of the blue’ at a BBQ at Samantha’s house in Sydney.

As conversation flowed and they got to know each other better, you can imagine their surprise when they discovered that not only were they both from Ireland, they were pretty much neighbours back in Sligo too.

After some months of dating these fated lovebirds threw caution to the wind and moved in together and two years later, more good news followed as they prepared to embark on the most exciting chapter of all – parenthood.

Pic: Wojciech Koza Photography

Throw a move back home into the mix and you can rest assured things were more than a little hectic for the pair when Larry decided to propose to Sam, catching her completely off guard – despite what some might say were some telling signs!

‘It was T-minus two days before we left Sydney to return to Ireland. I was just over 30 weeks pregnant with our first baby and there was a mountain of packing and paperwork to do,’ Sam tells EVOKE.ie

‘Nevertheless, we decided to have an extra special dinner at Cafe Sydney to mark the end of our chapter in Australia. I was so busy with packing up our life and preoccupied with everything baby related that I didn’t for a second consider a proposal in the pipeline!’

Pic: Wojciech Koza Photography

The evening panned out in quite the romantic manner – Champagne under the stars with the backdrop of the Sydney Opera house; a special place for the couple where many a brunch date was had over the years.

And completely missing the mark on the fact that Larry was popping open a bottle of Champagne they had saved for ‘something special,’ Sam didn’t blink twice when he suggested she gets her nails done earlier that day either!

In keeping with the rom-com theme, the unexpected proposal happened on a floating pontoon under the sails of the Opera house; a memory Sam says will forevermore remain as ‘one of the most amazing and lovely moments’ she and Larry have ever shared together.

Pic: Wojciech Koza Photography

Fast forward what was no doubt an equally stressful and exhilarating move back to the homeland, the couple had a wedding to plan (and a baby to welcome)!

And when it came to their big day, there was nowhere else the bride and groom wanted to say ‘I do’ more than Markree Castle; after all, Sam had imagined tying the knot there ever since she was a little girl!

‘It gave us both the feels the second we walked in,’ she explains.

‘I had so many memories there from when I was a child.’

Pic: Wojciech Koza Photography

Wedding planning in full mode, Sam says she’s forever grateful to her friends and family who banded together to organise what was an unforgettable day.

‘We were very lucky to have some amazing cake makers and graphic designers amongst us too and I had my best friend driving round several pubs with me a couple of nights before the wedding hunting down the last few Gunpowder gin bottles that we were short!’ she laughs.

As any bride will tell you, the dress is a crucial element of her big day and Samantha found hers just as she began to lose hope of finding ‘the one…’

… turns out it was under her nose the whole time, in a local boutique called Simones in her home town!

Pic: Wojciech Koza Photography

And home is truly where the heart is for this bride, who chose to get ready for the biggest day of her life in the house she grew up in.

‘We were absolutely blessed with a beautiful May bank holiday Sunday and I remember the sea out the front of my home house was like a mirror that morning when I pulled back the curtains,’ Sam tells EVOKE.ie.

‘Our wedding day reflected us a couple perfectly. It was relaxed and chilled and full of fun, love and laughter. We’ve never smiled so much!’

Pic: Wojciech Koza Photography

‘Everyone was in such a happy mood; the buzz and excitement around the house that morning was infectious! Our little girl was just the most adorable little flower girl and our church ceremony was so relaxed and happy and so suited to us and our family and our personalities,’ she says.

As jazz music filled the air and prosecco bubbles fizzed at the reception that evening, Sam recalls the packed dance floor complete with ‘some very questionable moves being thrown around!’

But by far the highlight was catching sight of her hubby-to-be for the first time: ‘He looked so handsome, he had the best haircut he’d ever had and one hell of a suit!’

Pic: Wojciech Koza Photography

‘We loved every minute and to be surrounded by all of our favourite people (some who had made a huge effort to travel all the way from Australia and America to share our day with us), dancing in the sunshine and the pretty drinks reception was something we can’t really put into words – it was surreal!’

Sam’s tip for other brides-to-be is not to fret about the small things: ‘On the day you’re just so happy and gushing with love and delighted to have all your favourite people around you, that things like carefully designed menus and pew ends just don’t seem to have the same significance that they did in the build up!’

‘Enjoy every minute, we’d love to be able to do it all over again!’

Pic: Wojciech Koza Photography

Sam & Larry’s Wedding Details

Photographer and Videographer: ‘Our photographer, Wojciech Koza and videographer, Eugene from ER films, were honestly just amazing! We wanted a very relaxed, non-invasive approach and they couldn’t have done it any better!’

Entertainment: ‘We had the Jazz Lads who did such an amazing job of creating the most perfect atmosphere out on the patio. Our band and DJ were the Bentley Boys and we paid a little bit extra to have a brass instrument which was worth every penny – the dancefloor was literally full from the first moments they started playing, we haven’t danced that much for a long time! Our ceremony music was done by Sinead Conway and her accompanist – she was just amazing, the kind of singing that makes your hair stand up!’

Pic: Wojciech Koza Photography

Flowers: ‘Olga from the Flower Shed was amazing, she is so invested in her couples and really enjoys doing something different and ensures the flowers really reflect the couples’ personalities – I can’t recommend her enough!’

Venue: ‘Markree Castle – Deirdre, Nicholas and all the staff were just so helpful and friendly and really went that extra mile to make the day everything we had dreamed of!’

Would you like to be featured in our Real Wedding’s section? Email your details to diana.bunici@evoke.ie to get in touch!